Bars may stay open 24/7 in Gurugram under latest Haryana excise plan

The new rules aim to counter the Capital’s excise policy under which bars and restaurants serving liquor can remain open till 3am, by allowing bars in the city to stay open till 8am as long as their owners pay the excise department an annual additional fee of ₹20 lakh, excise officials said.

Updated on: May 7, 2022, 12:01:15 IST

By Leena Dhankhar, Hindustan Times, Gurugram

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Pubs and restaurants serving liquor in Gurugram will have the option to remain open 24/7 as part of the new liquor licensing policy announced by the Haryana government on Friday.

Bar/restaurant owners who would like to continue closing their establishments at 2am can continue paying the annual retail liquor licence fee of ₹18 lakh. (Representative image)

The new rules, which will come into effect from June 12, aim to counter the Capital’s excise policy which was released in November, under which bars and restaurants serving liquor can remain open till 3am, by allowing bars in the city to stay open till 8am as long as their owners pay the excise department an annual additional fee of ₹20 lakh, excise officials said. The new policy is also likely to bring down liquor prices as excise duty and value-added tax (VAT) on the sale of liquor has been reduced.

VK Beniwal, deputy commissioner of excise and taxation, Gurugram (east), said, “We have tried to make the policy pocket-friendly so that more people can start their operations in the city. Gurugram is developing and more malls and commercial spaces are coming up here. People will have more options to open pubs, bars and restaurants now.”

Bar/restaurant owners who would like to continue closing their establishments at 2am can continue paying the annual retail liquor licence fee of ₹18 lakh.

“Bars and restaurants can now operate 24x7. There will be no cap on timings for outlets that pay the additional liquor licence fee. They can start serving liquor from 8am — there is no restriction on them starting June,” Beniwal said, adding that even liquor vends start operating from 8am. He said that with the new policy, they are expecting new players in the market and more people from Delhi to open their outlets in the city.

Officials said they expected more than 150 applications this time. The total number of existing licences in the city is 276.

Ashish Dev Kapoor, founder of Whisky Samba Bar and Grill, said that they could not have asked for more. “The industry was hit badly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new policy is a lifeline and will help us recoup those losses. We will now start hiring more staff,” he said.

Officials said this year the policy was designed keeping in mind all the benefits Delhi was providing to its licensees. “This year, for the first time, Haryana has developed an online application system along the lines of Delhi,” said Rahul Singh, trustee, National Restaurant Association of India, adding the new policy is progressive and addresses the objective of revenue optimisation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More